An ‘infamous’ purple menu item made its British debut at McDonald’s this week, as part of the fast food chain’s celebration of its 50th birthday in the UK.
Yes, that’s right folks… the Grimace Shake is finally here!
But you’ll need to act fast if you want to get your hands on one, as the iconic US product is going to be available in the UK for one week.
The viral purple drink – created last year in honour of the chain’s violet-hued mascot, Grimace – will be sold nationwide from August 28 to September 3.
There was much speculation about the flavour of the colourful treat ahead of its release, but Maccies UK confirmed it features a blueberry-flavoured syrup blended with a creamy milkshake base to create the ‘perfect purple combination’.
The drink costs £2.69 for a medium shake and £2.99 for a large, and can be purchased in restaurants, through the McDonald’s app, at the drive-thru or via McDelivery.
The Grimace Shake was first launched in America in June 2023 and was available for a month to celebrate Grimace’s 52nd birthday.
Its launch quickly spawned a bizarre TikTok trend, with people filming themselves pretending to collapse after taking a sip of the drink. As such, many social media users now refer to it as ‘the infamous Grimace Shake’.
The trend is thought to have started because the character itself was originally introduced in 1971 in McDonaldland as a villain known as ‘Evil Grimace’ who liked to steal milkshakes.
However, the ‘evil’ part of his name was dropped in 1972 and he was reintrduced as a clumsy but friendly monster. The McDonald’s Twitter account posted in 2014 that according to Grimace lore he’s ‘the embodiment of a milkshake or a taste bud’.
A number of famous faces took to social media to share their thoughts on the milkshake after it was released, including Friends star Courteney Cox. She shared a parody video joking that her dog had tried the drink and it turned the pooch into a ginormous purple creature.
As well as the milkshake, a few other fan-favourites are making their way to the menu from September 4, including the Philly Cheese Stack and the Chicken Big Mac.
The former first launched in October 2023, but was dropped at the end of November, with fans saying Christmas was ‘ruined’ because of it.
The burger features two beef patties, cheese sauce, two cheese slices as well as grilled and crispy onions and pickles in a toasted bun.
Online, @_elliottxo said: ‘That Philly Cheese Stack is the best limited-edition burger McDonald’s have ever done,’ while @rednuoPdnuorG described it as ‘sensational’.
Another, @HoodieUce, added: ‘That new Philly Cheese Stack from McDonald’s might genuinely be the nicest fast food burger I’ve ever tasted.’
The burger was said to be so good, a petition was even launched for its return last year, by a change.org user known as Naomi Campbell. She said the Philly Cheese Stack as ‘incredible’ and confessed she was ‘devastated’ to lose it.
McDonald’s also recently announced its Monopoly game would be coming back from September 4, with exciting prizes up for grabs, including £100,000 cash, new cars, and holidays – at least that’s something to fill your Grimace Shake-shaped void!
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